Best Gift for Jesus

Visitors from Abu Dhabi once brought me the gift of frankincense from Yemen in a beautiful carved box. It is pictured here. Frankincense, which is the resin of a certain tree, has a strong scent that lingers on your fingers when you touch it. We’ve just the feast of the Epiphany, celebrating the visit of […]

Abraham, Model of Exceptional Faith

It’s been awhile since I’ve thought about Abraham, the great granddaddy of Christians, Jews, and Muslims. But as I prepare a talk on him, I’m renewing my acquaintance. Aspects of his life shed light on our own. If you recall, when Abraham was already 75 years old, the one and only true God told him […]

Standing in Love

This month we celebrate Valentine’s Day, and last Sunday we heard 1 Corinthians 13 about love. So some thoughts about love are in order. Let’s skip over sentimental and romantic love and focus on Dorothy Day’s kind. She often quoted Dostoevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov: “Love in action is a harsh and dreadful thing compared to […]